I had a home security system installed today. It is a ADT system. So far, I like it. My DH work out of town A LOT. I'm home alone with my two little kiddos and I worry. I really stress when I look up the sex offenders, and recent arrests. My anxiety level is super high when he's not home. This make me feel a million times better, and I can focus on my kids.

So, what is your form of home security? Electronic system? Hope and Prayer? Good 'ol fashion shotgun? Dog?

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You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one

I'm glad it makes you feel more secure. That's worth it's weight in gold.

Personally, I have two dogs and several firearms and the knowledge to use them if I would have to.

Our house is surrounded by houses that are larger and more elaborately kept up and equipt with the latest and greatest of everything. I put my faith in the hope that any criminal would not choose us. We also have lights on an X-10 system and we lock our doors.

cj/

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I was walking home one night and a guy hammering on a roof called me a paranoid little weirdo. In morse code. -Emo Phillips

We were robbed twice so we have a security system now!

We have a dog, plus a centrally-monitored alarm system. I've had alarms in every house I've owned since the kids were little. I not only feel better when we're sleeping or I'm home alone, but I know when I arrive home by myself to an empty house nothing has been opened or disturbed.

Glad it helps you be more comfortable.

We just have deadbolt locks. We don't really have anything worth stealing, frankly.

I freaked out one day when I was the first to arrive home from work and heard voices in our back room. I stood at the front door for a minute trying to listen to what was being said, yet able to run from the house, if needed. As I listened, I realized it was the TV! I thought, who would break into a house to watch TV? I stood for a few more minutes and thought that whoever it was must have heard me come in, yet they continue to watch TV?!

With my heart pounding, I slowly approached the back room. I know I should have just left and called the police, but for some reason I didn't. When I got to the back room, no one was there. I finally realized that one of the cats must have stepped on the remote control and turned on the TV. LOL! It took a while for my heart to resume its normal rate.

Dog here...I am not too worried about security where I live, but I realize it can be bad anywhere..

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Live, Love, Laugh

In most communities (this one included) the police will NOT come to a residence when an alarm goes off unless someone actually calls them and tells them something is going on. Please call you local police and find out if they do.

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The political system is broke and it's a joke.

Dog, safe room, cellphone and a whole bunch of firearms.
Our walkin closet is equipt with a deadbolt on the inside, an old cellphone kept in the charger, and a .45. The plan is that if I hear someone somewhere in the house or the dogs raise the alarm, I go to the closet, lock myself in and call 911 and let them deal with it.

The reality is that the one time that our Kelpie started barking like someone was in the living room, I rolled out of bed grabbing the .45 off the headboard, hit the thumbbreak as I was standing, did my best Pepper Anderson impersonation, sneaking to the bedroom door with the muzzle low. I popped out into the living room to find the dog staring at the front window barking feriously. Turns out a finch had gotten trapped in the screen porch and was tapping at his reflection in the window. Scared the soup out of me.
I briefly considered shooting both the dog and bird, but they were spared by my sense of humor.

Now that SO is home all the time I will use him to deter crime.

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Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass
It's about learning to dance in the rain.

Wow! I never heard of that, so it is definitely something for OP to check! We have never had a response issue. Matter of fact, once my d/h set the alarm off accidentally and when the alarm company called, he gave them the password without the plural 's'. They sent the police since it wasn't absolutely correct. If we have excessive false alarms, qualified as more than 3 in one year, we can be fined.

We do for our business but at our home we have dogs and guns

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Brenda

GO #24 JEFF GORDON

I can only speak to my experience with the home-security companies we dealt w/ at the 911 dispatch--and the procedure with which they operated:
1)alarm goes off, and the alarm company is alerted
2)alarm company attempts to calls the phone number for the residence or business
3)if no contact is made, immediately contact local law enforcement
4)if contact is made, but it is not correct (incorrect password, doesn't know password, or uses the code word for a dangerous situation) the alarm company contacts the local law enforcement and generally attempts to keep the party on the line. Depending on the alarm company and the system that has been installed the alarm company may be able to provide information such as "alarm indicates glass breakage, window, front south side, lower level" or "alarm indicates motion in zone 3, master bedroom which is top level, north side"

Some places may have a system where the alarm is routed to the local law enforcement, bypassing a security company--but that typically can be very costly for the home or business owner, because generally speaking you are charged for every response.

We have a dog (not that she would do anything!). We lock our doors. No guns. No alarm system. We live in a relatively safe neighborhood, in a safe city--and I have an enormous amount of faith in the 911 system and the city Police Department!

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Mental that one, I'm telling you. ---Ron Weasley, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets"

We have a home alarm, 2 dogs and DH has a closet full of guns! I don't think anyone would be real smart to try and break-in here!

Hubby is a police officer. He says that an alarm system isn't worth the money. He says that from the time from the alarm goes off til police respond can be about 15 mins. so the robbers have plenty of time.
We have 3 large dogs. If someone can get past them, they deserve whatever they can get. lol
Judy

We have an alarm system that was installed about 5 years ago. But, we have no landline any longer. We have had service to the alarm system shut off, but when DH is out of town, I still set the alarm. The bells and whistles will still go off and wake me up (along with neighbors, lol).

We do have two dogs and a few guns

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Join the Relay for Life

We have ADT and like it. We don't really have a security issue. We wanted one for security when we are away on vacation mostly. The feature I LOVE is that every time a window or door is opened, it lets you know (which you can turn off). So I know if one of the kids goes outside from the basement (which I otherwise wouldn't hear).

It will also be nice when the kids are older and you can read up on when the door was opened (time, etc) so you KNOW if you child is telling you the truth about when they came in. They really can't sneak out either. Our kids are only 7 & 9 but we were planning for the future because our basement is still unfinished and the system is harder to install after the fact.

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Proud to say I haven't shopped at a Wal-Mart since Sept 2003

15 minutes as a matter of course? Wow. Our response time has been about 4 minutes from alarm. I look at it as a deterrent first, and secondly a loud piercing noise to alert me, my family & my neighbors & hopefully send someone looking for an easy target running. I agree that if someone is determined to get in and clean us out, they can. I just don't want to be here, and I don't want to make it easier. With some of the slime walking this earth, I need to know when I am asleep I won't wake up to anyone in my face.

I'm sure the response time depends upon where you live. We're a whole 1/2 mile from the police station. Plus, we only use ours for vacations.

I have 4 cats.. they would spit hairballs at anyone who breaks in.. and I have a lead pipe under the head of my bed..within arms reach.

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Support bacteria -- it's the only culture some people have!

If Vegetarians eat Vegetables. Do Humanitarians eat Humans?

'Vegetarian' is an old Native American word for bad hunter.

Alarm system. Mine works like MarilynK says.

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I've never lied to you. I've always told you some version the of truth.

We have an alarm system and live 2 miles from Police station in a small town that is boring. So when an alarm goes off police (like all on duty) are here in a flash. But our alarm is cell phone monitored because we do not have a home phone and I feel safer with a cell monitor also.
We also have 2 big dogs that would either pee on you (female pees whenever she is in a new situation or scared) or bug you to pet him to death. Not very good watch dogs, glad we got them for temperment with children

We have an alarm system, very loud dog, and firearms. We didn't bother with setting the alarm until a spike in neighborhood break-ins recently. We weren't even that great about locking the doors or garage, but one of the robbers (I'm 99% sure) came to my door during the day to case our house. He left when I told him I worked at home and he got a good look at my dog. Their MO was to kick in the front door of the houses during the middle of the afternoon and this man came to my door at 2:00 with a made-up story about living down the street (our neighborhood is very friendly and people are always outside and I had never seen him before), his mother having a stroke and needing a ride. He didn't go to any of the other houses around mine (with cars in the driveways) to ask for their help when I declined. He just started walking back down the street. Anyway, I am now fanatical about the alarm and the doors being locked. I did find out that we had to have a current alarm permit with our city for the police to respond to the alarm going off (in the event the alarm company was unable to reach us). It cost $50 and lasts for 1 year.

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Kim

We got one about a month ago. We live in a safe neighborhood but had a murder close by. Actually it was a person doing yardwork for a woman and he was stealing from her. So she let him in her house. We use it in another way. We have a voice box too. My dh has health problems which include seizures-not the falling down type. He sometimes can't move but can talk. So when I am at work and I call the house, if he does not answer I can talk to him through the voicebox and talk to him. He also wears a thing around his neck that he can push if he is having a problem. And we have a dog.

We have a dog, deadbolts and guns.

I hate the commericals that advertise home security systems on tv where the robber actually breaks down the front door with one hard crash, actually comes into the house while the family runs to close a bedroom door. Then the security company 'calls' and says 'are you ok?' The family says, 'yes, but someone tried to break in.' WTH, do you mean he TRIED to break in? He broke in your front door!!

We have had a alarm system for so many yrs, i cant remember when we actually got it. Our daughter was in school and came home alone alot so the alarm made her feel safer,coming into the house when no one else was home and we dont have any neigbors that are really close or home during the day. Ours went off just the other day while I was here in the shower. I got out, turned off the water and grabbed a robe and went into the den with my double barrelled shot gun. The police was pulling into the drive as I started out the door carrying my alarm back up. ( lol) Turned out we had a short in the back door alarm. I think that is pretty good response time since we live a long ways from town.

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I have a dog that barks like crazy if someone is near the house. He barks continuously as long as someone is near. I have dead bolt locks which hopefully would slow the culprit down long enough till I get the gun. If someone is stupid enough to come into the house they sure won't be leaving the house on two feet. They'll go out horizontally.

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Barb


My GOD Bless our Country and our Troops, and rid the World of terroists.